Illinois Cell Phone Users, Don’t Answer This Call, It Could Cost You

If your cell phone or home phone rings and someone at the other end asks "Can you hear me?" hang up now.

No, it's not the guy from the TV commercial, asking "can you hear me now," it's a scammer. If you answer 'yes', you could have some hefty charges added to your cell phone bill.

As of now, there have been no known reports of the this scam affecting phone users in Illinois, but according to Fox32, the scam has popped up in other parts of the country and could spread here to Illinois.

Here's how it works, your cell phone or landline rings, and a fuzzy voice is at the other end, but clear enough for your understand what he or she is saying and ask "can you hear me?" If you answer 'yes,' you are agreeing to charges added to your phone for a service you never ordered, and don't even know what it is.

Fox32 reports that authorities in Virginia say that innocent phone users are being asked this question by an unknown entity, only to later discover that they agreed to phone charges

Is aimed at getting unsuspecting victims to say "yes" -- an answer the fraudster then records as a way to authorize charges on a phone, utility or credit card bill. The scam is a variation of one that began late last year, according to law enforcement.

The scammer will record your 'yes,' answer and they say that you have agreed to something, even though you didn''t